Mechanism for swinging tentering-machines.



Patented Dec. la, |900.

Y J. J'. FEAoN. MECHANISM FUR SWINGING TENTEBING MACHINES.

(Appucaim med my 1s, 1899.)

WITNESSEE;

UNITE STATES JAMES J. FEARON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MECHANISM FOR SWINGING TENTERING-IVIACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No'. 664,249, dated December 18, 1900.

' Application filed May 13,1899. Serial No. 'll6`,783. (No model.)

To all whom inta/y concern,.- I

Be it known that I, JAMES J. FEARON, of the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mechanism for Swinging Tentering-Machines, of which the following, with the accompanying drawings, is aI description. 4

Heretofo're the side rails of that class of tentering-machine in which such rails swing back and forth have been operated by a disk plate with a crank-pin inserted in it a sufcient distance from the center of the disk to give the desired longitudinal motion to the rails and a rod connection between the crankpin and the rail. It has been found in practice that with this customary mechanism it was necessary to bolt the machine down very solidly and even supply special foundations for it, owing to the momentum of Athe heavy side rails, and that there was a large amount of resulting jar which has become particularly objectionable with the modern machines using nicely-adjusted chain-clips, owing to the tendency of such jarring to throw the chains out of their proper place and otherwise interfering with their proper working. I have found that the mechanism described herein prevents this jarring to a very great extent and makes it possible to run a machine with much less attention paid to its foundations and at a higher rate of speed.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a plan view of such parts of a tentering-machine as are required to show my invention and its methods of operation, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 represent a modied arrangement of my invention.

In the drawings, A A represent the standards for the machine at intervals throughout its length resting upon the fioor or proper foundations, and B B cross-arms resting and swinging upon the standards A A and supporting lthe side rails C, which rails carry the chains for holding the edges of the cloth to be tentered. These side rails are swung back and forth by means'of the two cams D and E, each consisting of a disk and its surrounding strap and located one oneach side of the machine and mounted upon the shaft F, and

which latter is driven by the pulley G and spur-gears H or in any other suitable manner. These cams are each connected to one of the upright levers K, and they in turn bythe rods L to the side rails C. Provision is made by means Aof the slots in the upper ends of the' levers K for varying the amount of the swinging motion given to the rails; but it is manifest that the same result of varying the throw of these levers may be obtained in many other ways. By observing and comparing Figs. l and 2 of the drawings it will be seen that the lever-'arm Kon'one side of the machine-as, for example, the lower side, as shown in Fig. 1- is placed on the left side of its cam D, while the lever-arm on the other side ofthe machine is placed on the opposite or right side of its cam E. Such a position of the levers with reference to their respective cams is necessary in order to use a cam and lever on both sides of the machine, owing to the fact that if the connections between the two cams and their respective side rails are upon the same side of both cams the latter will bind and fail to work upon portions of their revolution. This will be evident to any draftsman who will make a diagram of the tw'o cams, first when the side rails are at the eXtreme point of their oscillation in either direction and then when the side rails are at the middle point of their oscillation and the position the two cams ought then to be in. He will find that one cam should have rotated through a greater arc than the other, which is impossible where both are rotating at the same uniform speed as they do when mounted upon the same shaft. In order, therefore, to use a cam on both sides of the machine, it is necessary that the connections between them and their respective rails be made on opposite sides of the two cams. It is obvious thatin place of the leverarms on opposite sides of their respective cams connecting-rods directly between the cams and the side rails might be substituted, provided they leave the cams on opposite sides; but for various reasons of detailed construction it is advantageous to have the connecting-rods attached to the rails or to some other device which is in itself in some wayconnected to the rails at points opposite one another' when the rails are at the middle point of their IOO oscillations, as shown in the drawings, and to accomplish this thelever-arms or some equivalent construction is essential. The level'- arms probably also play some considerable part in making the machine more effective. The arrangement here shown gives a very much smoother and more even motion to the rails, causing very much less jar and making it possible to place the machine upon lighter foundations and in locations where it was not practicable to place it with the old mechanism and to run the machine at a higher speed. One reason for this probably lies in the smaller angularity of the connecting-rod on the same amount of motion when it is combined with a cam or eccentric of this kind than it has when connected with a disk-pin and probably also the larger bearing-surface of the surrounding strap may have much to do with obtaining the resulting even motion; but whatever the reason it is certain that important new results are obtained by the use of this contrivance for swinging the side rails.

In Figs. 3 and 4 is shown a modified arrangement by which I am enabled to use cams of various shapes, those shown in the drawings being designed to give a quicker motion at certain portions of the stroke in each direction of the rail than would be given by the circular cam and eccentric. In the figures the cam on only one side of the machine is shown. D' represents the cam, it being shown at different positions in its revolution in the two `figures-namely, in the middle of the stroke in Fig. 3 and at the end of the forward and the beginning of the backward stroke in Fig. 4. In this arrangement there are two levers K',.joined together at their tops by the connecting-rod L and connected to the side rail C of the machine by the rod L. The faces of the cams work against small rolls mounted in the lever K to avoid friction.

I have preferred to use two eccentrics or cams, one connected with each rail, but it may not always be necessary to use more than one. i

I claim as my invention- 1. In a tentering-machine, the combination of two side rails and pivoted supports therefor permitting the rails to be oscillated to and fro, a cam to which rotary motion is im parted, a lever-arm and connections between the cam and lever-arm and between the'latter and one of the side rails, whereby the rails are oscillated to and fro by means of the cam.

2. In a tentering-machine the combination of the side rails and supports therefor permitting the rails to be oscillated to and fro, two cams to which rotary motion is imparted, two leverarlns, one for each cam and rail, and connections between each cam and its lever and between each lever and its respective rail, the lever-arms being placed on opposite sides of the cams, and the cams being arranged to swing the rails in opposite directions one to the other.

3. The structure of a tentering-machine composed of two side rails and cross-arms, said cross-arms turning upon fixed bases and supporting the side rails in such manner that said rails supported by said arms may oscillate to and fro, combined with two cams to which rotary motion is imparted, one cam for each side of the machine, and a connection between each cam and the rail on that side, said connections being made to opposite sides of the cams.

JAS. J. FEARON.

Witnesses:

JOHN B. MosBRooK, R. H. REILLY, Jr. 

